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Uncle Tom's Cabin: Hawthorne

HAWTHORNE AFTER a residence of about four years at Concord, Hawthorne moved again to Salem, where he had been appointed as surveyor of the custom-house at that port. He filled the position until a change of administration led to his retirement. He seems to have written little during his official term; but, having some leisure, he read much and pondered over subjects for future stories.

While at the custom-house he found, among some old papers, a large letter "A" embroidered on red cloth, and, speculating upon the origin and history of the letter, his imagination was so stirred that, upon his retirement from office, he wrote "The Scarlet Letter."

Hawthorne was for years the most obscure of American writers, though he gradually acquired many quiet admirers. His first recognition came from England, where his genius was discovered by Henry F. Chorly, one of the editors of the "Athenaeum." But the powerful romance of "The Scarlet Letter" set at rest at once any doubt there may have been as to the genius of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

His shorter stories are remarkable for their originality. But in some of the longer stories he showed how deeply he pondered the great problems of life, in depicting the characters which move through his works. He inherited the gravity of his Puritan ancestors, and was said to be "a great anatomist of the human heart."